Dissertation Study
Reimagining School as Homeplace: Black Girls’ Visual and Narrative Constructions of Belonging
This study explores how Black girls visually and narratively document their experiences in school through Photovoice. Grounded in Critical Race Feminism, Black Girlhood Studies, and bell hooks’ construct of homeplace, the project investigates themes of affirmation, belonging, safety, harm, resistance, and care — and how these accounts align with, complicate, or challenge the idea of school as a homeplace.
Study Overview
Black girls navigate K–12 schools shaped by intersecting systems of racism and gendered marginalization, often encountering adultification, racialized discipline, and misrecognition. Although scholarship on school climate and belonging has expanded, Black girls’ lived experiences remain underexplored in school psychology, particularly through participatory and visual methodologies.
Grounded in Critical Race Feminism, bell hooks’ construct of homeplace, and Black Girlhood Studies, this study uses Photovoice and Youth Participatory Action Research to center Black girls as knowledge producers. Participants document and discuss their school experiences to explore themes of affirmation, belonging, safety, harm, resistance, and care — and to examine whether school spaces function as homeplaces of restoration and dignity.
Research Questions
RQ1 – Representation
How do Black girls visually and narratively represent their school experiences through Photovoice?
RQ2 – Meaning & Themes
What themes of affirmation, belonging, safety, harm, resistance, or care emerge from participants’ images and discussions?
RQ3 – Theoretical Contribution
How do girls’ documented experiences align with, complicate, or challenge the construct of homeplace and principles of Black Girlhood Studies?
Interested in Learning More?
Download the extended concept brief below.
For collaboration or inquiries, please contact: thughes9@luc.edu